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We've all heard the statistics that 50% of new businesses fail in the first year and around 90% of businesses fail in the first five years.

While most of these failures end in anonymity, there are those companies that burst on the scene and then cone to a resounding halt with equal amounts of fanfare.

So we looked at the "why" of some of history's famous business failures and we began to see common threads between what makes a company have to shutter it's doors and the components that make up a bad IVR and hosted IVR system.

The blueprint for the first modern interactive voice response (IVR) industry was created over 50 years ago...

And a lot of companies IVR systems still have customers feeling frustrated, rather than feeling they have achieved something.

Customers, potential customers, individuals preforming agreements; people world-wide now expect to interact with an automated system at some point in their process. But oh, how those processes can vary.

The common thread to all IVR and hosted IVR processes is in the way each system is designed. Here are four elements that are vital to ensure a pleasant customer experience:

IVR: Thank you. Your call is very important to us. Did you know that you can have most of your questions answered by visiting our website at (the company's website url)?

So basically the company just said, "Your call is very important to us. Now let us give you information so we don't have to mess around with you." Besides, I had already visited their website. It didn't answer my question.

IVR: Press one to continue to your account.

I PRESS "1"

IVR: Hello. Please listen because our menu options have changed. Please have your twelve digit account number ready. If your service is not working or you're experiencing an interruption in service, press one. If you have new service and are setting up an account press two. If you are calling to pay your bill press three.

I PRESS "3"

IVR: Thank you. Did you know that you can pay your bill online by clicking on the "Pay My Bill Now" button on our website at (the company's url)? Please enter your twelve digit account number.

I ENTER THE ACCOUNT NUMBER

IVR: We're sorry, the account number you entered does not match the phone number associated with this account. Please enter your ten digit phone number.

I THEN REALIZE THAT I PUT IN MY PHONE NUMBER AND NOT MY GIRLFRIEND'S NUMBER (I was paying the bill for her.). So I input her phone number.

IVR: Thank you. Your call is very important to us. Did you know that you can have most of your questions answered by visiting our website at (the company's website url)?

WAIT, DIDN"T I JUST HEAR THIS?

IVR: Press one to continue to your account.

I PRESS "1"

IVR: Hello. Please listen because our menu options have changed. Please have your twelve digit account number ready. If your service is not working or you're experiencing an interruption in service, press one. If you have new service and are setting up an account press two. If you are calling to pay your bill press three.

I PRESS "3"

IVR: Thank you. Did you know that you can pay your bill online by clicking on the "Pay My Bill Now" button on our website at (the company's url)? Please enter your twelve digit account number.

I ENTER THE ACCOUNT NUMBER

IVR: Thank you. One moment please (a recording telling me about how to save money, time and energy begins. Then music. Then back to the recorded message about money time and energy then back to the music).

IVR: We're sorry. The phone number you entered does not match the account number in our system. We're sorry for the inconvenience. Goodbye.

CLICK

This is how I felt.

Suffice to say, I did not have an exceptional customer experience. Memorable, yes. As a matter of fact we remembered to switch from that company. Yes, we did. We really did. So what reasons did I come to loathe this company's IVR system, thus, loathing the company? Here are five: